Label attaching machine

ABSTRACT

In a label attaching machine attachment for sewing machines, a label magazine containing a stack of labels is mounted below the worktable and labels are fed upwardly by pressure applied to the bottom of the stack to a label feeding position when the topmost label is engaged by a picker finger mounted on a reciprocating carriage which moves the label to an attaching station.

United States Patent [1 1 Ziegler et a1.

LABEL ATTACHING MACHINE Inventors: Arnold ll. Ziegler, New City;

George J. Schweitzer, Lake Grove, both of N.Y.

Assignee:

Filed: July 31, 1973 Appl. No.1 384,183

U.S. Cl. 112/104 Int. Cl D05b 3/12 Field of Search 221/39, 36, 42, 52;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1927 Faust 112/104 Gellman Industries, Inc., New York,

1 May 28, 1974 2,313,433 3/1943 Golden 112/104 2,482,537 9/1949 Bastamante 227/48 3,611,959 10/1971 Perlatore et al. 112/104 Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sandoe, l-lopgood '&

Calimafde [5 7 ABSTRACT In a label attaching machine attachment for sewing machines, a label magazine containing a stack of labels is mounted below the worktable and labels are fed upwardly by pressure applied to the bottom of the stack to a label feeding position when the topmost label is engaged by a picker finger mounted on a reciprocating carriage which moves the label to an attaching station.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures T0 SPRlNG OR COUNTERWEIGHT PATENTEUMM 28 m4 SHEE t (if 4 FIG .7

FIGJO TO PULLEY 39 1 LABEL ATTACHING MACHINE This invention relates to label attaching machines, and pertains more particularly to an attachment for sewing machines in which successive labels are fed from a magazine to an attaching station where each successive label may be sewn to a workpiece such as a garment, for example.

In the prior art machines are known which provide a supply of individual labels stacked in a magazine suspended above the level of the worktable surface at which the individual labels are sewn to the workpiece. In such machines, the magazine is inverted, i.e. the open end from which the labels are extracted, is at the bottom of the magazine. A swinging feed arm carrying a pickup blade picks off the bottom label of the stack and transfers it in a swinging motion to the attaching position where it is sewn to the workpiece. In such machines, the arc traversed by the swinging pickup blade is in excess of 90, and in order to prevent the label from being dislodged from the blade during its travel, it has been necessary to provide means such as suction to hold the label on the blade.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simplified label feeding means for such machines.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a magazine which may be easily adjusted to vary the dimensions of the magazine passage to accommodate labels of different sizes.

Other objects'and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of a conventional sewing machine embodying the novel label feeding attachment, partly broken away.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the attachment.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the attachment.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the label magazine.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 66 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of the attachment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a label.

FIG. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 ofFIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, relevant portions of a conventional commercial type sewing machine are shown in FIG. 1, comprising a frame having a vertical extending standard I mounted on a base 2 and a horizontally extending arm 3 terminating in a head 4 within which a needle bar 5 is mounted for reciprocation by a conventional motor driven mechanism encased within the frame. A horizontal worktable 6 projects forwardly from the standard 1 and extends beneath and beyond the head and attaching station as defined by the needle bar 5. A frame 7 mounted on the worktable 6 carries conventional means 8 for. clamping the workpiece and for moving the same with respect to the needle bar 5 in a predetermined pattern as stitching proceeds.

All of the parts and mechanisms above referred to are conventional and well known to those skilled in the art and form no part of the present invention. A typical disclosure of such parts and mechanisms may be found in Morin US. Pat. No. 2,482,537. The said patent also discloses a label feed mechanism of the swinging feed arm type above referred to.

According to the present invention the label magazine is mounted beneath the free front end of the worktable 6 and extends vertically downwardly therefrom at a location offset from the attaching station. The stack of labels in the magazine is moved upwardly by pressure applied at the bottom of the stack as the successive individual labels are stripped off of the top of the stack and fed horizontally to the attaching station.

Thus, referring to the drawings, the label magazine, is designated generally by 10 which is mounted below and extends through the worktable. Thus, it is secured to the underside of worktable 6 by an angle bracket 11, the horizontal flange of which is bolted to the worktable by bolts 12 passing through elongated slots 13 which permit longitudinal adjustment of the magazine, the slots being oversized in width to permit also a small amount of transverse adjustment, to enable the magazine to be adjusted to be properly aligned with respect to the needle bar 5. The vertical flange 14 of the bracket 11 is secured to a transverse plate 15 which extends downwardly from the worktable and forms one wall of the magazine passage 16 in which the labels are stacked. Other walls of the magazine passage are formed by angle pieces 17 and 18 which are mounted on the plate 15 in such manner as to permit the perimeter of the magazine passage to be adjusted to accept labels of different dimensions.

Thus, referring to FIG. 6, the angle piece 17 'is mounted on an angle bracket 19 by means of bolts 20 which extend through elongated slots 21, the bolts being provided with wing nuts 22 so that the bolts may be easily loosened to permit transverse adjustment of the bracket piece 17 to the broken line position of FIG. 6. Similarly, the angle piece 18 is mounted on an angle bracket 23 by means of bolts 24 which extend through elongated slots 25, the bolts being provided with wing nuts 26 to permit transverse adjustment of the angle piece 18. Thus, by adjusting the two angle pieces to the same extent, the width of the magazine passage 16 may be varied as desired.

In addition, the angle bracket 23 is mounted on the plate 15 by means of bolts 27 which extend through elongated slots 28, the bolts being provided with wing nuts 29 to permit sidewise adjustment of the bracket piece 18 to vary the length of the magazine passage as desired.

In order to apply pressure to the bottom of the stack of labels in the magazine, a presser carriage 31 .is mounted to slide up and down on the plate 15. In order to engage the labels, a presser finger 32 is pivotally mounted on the carriage at 33 and extends through a slot 34 in the plate 15 into the magazine passage 16. The end of the finger 32 carries a channel shaped foot 35 on which the stack of labels rests as shown in FIG. 7. When the carriage reaches'its uppermost position as shown in broken lines in FIG. 7, the last label of the stack is in position to be fed to the stitching station. The finger 32 is normally held in position to support the stack of labels, as shown in FIGS. -5 and 7, by a spring pressed plunger 36 which engages a depression 37 in thefmger.

Means are provided to apply pressure to the bottom of the label stack. In the present embodiment such means comprise a spring or counterweight (not shown) attached to a cable 38 which passes over pulleys 39 and 40 for attachment to a member 41 attached to the carriage 31. The pressure applied to the bottom of the label stack-forces the labels upwardly so that the top labelcontacts and bears against the magazine cover 42 which is slidable in guides 43 and 44 so that it may be retracted to the broken line position of H6. 2 when it is desired to fill or refill the magazine.

A typical label is shown in F IG. 9 comprising a two ply body portion 50 connected by a fold line 51 and a flap 52. However, single ply labels may also be used provided they have a flap. The labels are stacked in the magazine in such manneras to expose the flap 52 as shown in FIG. 10. Means are provided for feeding the labels one by one from the magazine to a stitching station comprising a feed carriage 53 mounted for sliding, reciprocating motion on the worktable 6. The carriage is'reciprocated by a stud 54 which extends through a slot 55 in the worktable as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 to a connector 56A which is attached to a cylinder rod 56 of a pneumatic cylinder 57 which actuates the carriage.

The under side of the feed carriage 53 is provided with a resilient picker finger 58. In the fully retracted position of the feed carriage, the finger rides on the upper surface of the top label through a slot 59 in the magazine cover, and as the carriage advances in the direction of the arrow as shown in PK]. 10, the finger 58 engages the label tlap 52. Continued advancing movement of the carriage then carries the label to the stitching station as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2 where it is held by means of suction applied through holes in the worktable until engaged by the clamping means of the sewing machine. The connector 56A provides for adjustment to ensure that the label is advanced the correct distance to the stitching station.

in the foregoing description, it has been assumed that labels such as the typical label 50 are simply stacked in the label magazine with all labels oriented in the same direction to present the flap 52 for engagement by the picker finger 58. lt is common practice in the industry, however, to pack labels in containers or cartons of the type disclosed in Provost et al. US. Pat. No. 3,580,474 consisting of an outer rectangular sleeve of shell within which is slidably mounted an inner rectangular sleeve or shell open on one side to expose the labels packed therein. The use of such containers or cartons is a great convenience, and the attachment above described is adapted to use such containers.

When using such containers the loading procedure is as follows. First, the feed carriage 53 is pushed forward to clear the top of the magazine and the cover 42 is pulled back out of the way. Then the presser carriage is pulled down to the bottom of the magazine and the cable 38 is detached therefrom. The dimensions of the magazine passage 16 are then adjusted to accommodate the inner shell of the container in which the labels are packed. The presser finger 32 is then swung out of the magazine. The label container is then placed above the magazine and the inner shell in which the labels are packed is pushed down into the magazine. The outer sheli is discarded and the top of the inner shell is torn off to expose the top label. The magazine cover is then returned to its original place covering the magazine and the feed carriage is returned to feeding position. The presser finger is now swung back into the magazine between the bottom label and the bottom end of the inner shell. The cable 38 is then attached to the presser carriage, and the machine is ready for operation.

In operation, the operator manually operates a valve (not shown) to cause the pneumatic cylinder 57 to actuate the feed carriage S3 to advance an initial label to stitching position under the clamp 8. A workpiece, such as a garment, is then placed over the label in proper position for attachment of the label and the operator then actuates the sewing machine to stitch the label to the garment in the conventional manner. A pneumatic control circuit senses completion of the stitching operation, and, after a suitable delay to allow removal of the completed work, automatically causes the penumatic cylinder 57 to actuate the feed carriage 53, advancing the next label to the stitching position. Automatic label feeding continues until the supply of labels in the magazine is exhausted.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sewing machine for attaching labels to workpieces having a reciprocating needle bar, worktable, and means for clamping a workpiece and label at an attaching station and moving them in a predetermined pattern with respect to the needle bar as stitching proceeds, a label feeding attachment comprising a label magazine for holding a stack of labels, said magazine being mounted below and extending through said worktable at a location offset from said attaching station, a magazine cover slidably mounted on said worktable, means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack of labels in the magazine to cause the topmost label to bear against said magazine cover, said magazine cover having a slot therein which partially exposes the topmost label, a label feed carriage slidably mounted on said worktable, a resilient picker finger mounted on said carriage in position to enter said slot and engage said topmost label, and means for reciprocating said carriage to cause said picker finger to advance said topmost label to the attaching station.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said label magazine comprises a plate mounted on and extending downwardly from said worktable and forming one wall of a magazine passage, a pair of angle pieces mounted on said plate and forming other walls of said magazine passage.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which said plate is mounted for adjustment longitudinally and transversely of said worktable so that said magazine may be adjusted to be properly aligned with respect to said needle bar.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which both of said angle pieces are mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary one dimension of said magazine passage, and one of said angle pieces is also mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary another dimension of said magazine passage.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which said plate is mounted for adjustment longitudinally and transversely of said worktable so that said magazine may be adjusted to be properly aligned with respect to said needle bar, and in which both of said angle pieces are mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary one dimension of said magazine passage, and one of said angle pieces is also. mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary another dimension of said magazine passage.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said label magazine comprises a plate mounted on and extending downwardly from said worktable, and in which said means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack of labels comprises a presser carriage slidably mounted on said plate.

azine passage.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said presser finger is pivotally mounted on said carriage.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said 7. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said 5 means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack plate is provided with a vertical slot extending lengthwise of said plate, and a presser finger mounted on said carriage and extending through said slot into said magcomprises a flexible cable attached to said carriage, 

1. In a sewing machine for attaching labels to workpieces having a reciprocating needle bar, worktable, and means for clamping a workpiece and label at an attaching station and moving them in a predetermined pattern with respect to the needle bar as stitching proceeds, a label feeding attachment comprising a label magazine for holding a stack of labels, said magazine being mounted below and extending through said worktable at a location offset from said attaching station, a magazine cover slidably mounted on said worktable, means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack of labels in the magazine to cause the topmost label to bear against said magazine cover, said magazine cover having a slot therein which partially exposes the topmost label, a label feed carriage slidably mounted on said worktable, a resilient picker finger mounted on said carriage in position to enter said slot and engage said topmost label, and means for reciprocating said carriage to cause said picker finger to advance said topmost label to the attaching station.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said label magazine comprises a plate mounted on and extending downwardly from said worktable and forming one wall of a magazine passage, a pair of angle pieces mounted on said plate and forming other walls of said magazine passage.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which said plate is mounted for adjustment longitudinally and transversely of said worktable so that said magazine may be adjusted to be properly aligned with respect to said needle bar.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which both of said angle pieces are mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary one dimension of said magazine passage, and one of said angle pieces is also mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary another dimension of said magazine passage.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 2 in which said plate is mounted for adjustment longitudinally and transversely of said worktable so that said magazine may be adjusted to be properly aligned with respect to said needle bar, and in which both of said angle pieces are mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary one dimension of said magazine passage, and one of said angle pieces is also mounted for adjustment with respect to said plate to vary another dimension of said magazine passage.
 6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said label magazine comprises a plate mounted on and extending downwardly from said worktable, and in which said means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack of labels comprises a presser carriage slidably mounted on said plate.
 7. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said plate is provided with a vertical slot extending lengthwise of said plate, and a presser finger mounted on said carriage and extending through said slot into said magazine passage.
 8. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said presser finger is pivotally mounted on said carriage.
 9. A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which said means for applying pressure to the bottom of the stack comprises a flexible cable attached to said carriage, and a counterweight attached to said cable. 